


Stars Come Down to Earth

by improbableZero



Category: Mushishi
Genre: Gen, Or well the Mushishi equivalent of casefic anyway, casefic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-24
Updated: 2012-07-24
Packaged: 2017-11-10 15:55:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/468046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/improbableZero/pseuds/improbableZero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the sun has set, these small, white lights appear. They form a path through the woods, and they look a bit…well…a bit like stars have decided to come down to earth and visit for a while.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stars Come Down to Earth

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in the process of archiving my fic here from elsewhere on the internet; please excuse the mess.
> 
> No knowledge of the series necessary except that mushi are tiny little spirits that make weird stuff happen. I hope I haven't fudged up anything too badly!

The village of Tsurime was an ordinary small town. Children were born to married couples, went to school, and grew up to go into the same trade as their fathers or mothers. The biggest scandal that had happened in the village of late was that one time Mokoto-san had discovered his daughter and Kagamine-san's son in the hayloft together four years ago.

Lately, however, the people of Tsurime village had been acting strangely. People had been doing things that ordinarily they wouldn't dream of—just the week before, old Jirou-jii-san, the oldest person in the village, had been seen dancing wildly down the street. When Shizuka, one of the village's children, had asked Jirou-jii-san why he had been dancing, Jirou-jii-san had answered, "Why not?"

But dancing through the streets was nothing when compared with some of the other things the village's inhabitants had been getting up to. Climbing on roofs, going out into the snow at night, spending all day watching the sky instead of getting on with work. Finally, when Tobi, Shizuka's younger brother, went swimming in the river and nearly drowned because he "wanted to see what it was like," Shizuka's mother called upon a mushi master to see what could have gone wrong.

Shizuka watched as the mushi master greeted her mother politely. He was taller than an ordinary person, with hair as white as the snow and bright blue-green eyes. He carried a wooden box on his back and introduced himself as Ginko.

"Have you noticed any strange happenings around the village lately?" Ginko-san asked Shizuka's mother. "Other than people acting oddly."

Shizuka's mother shook her head. "No, I haven't noticed anything."

Shizuka had, but it wasn't polite to speak unless spoken to, so she didn't say anything.

"What about you?" Ginko-san asked, turning to look at Shizuka. "Have you noticed anything odd?"

Shizuka nodded silently, biting her lip in nervousness. Ginko-san was a mushi master, a very important person, so she didn't want to offend him.

"Could you describe it to me?" Ginko-san asked. His voice was very soft and gentle, Shizuka noticed—like the wind in the summer.

"I've only seen it at night," Shizuka said hesitantly. "I—sometimes I go walking, in the evenings, through the forest. After the sun has set, these small, white lights appear. They form a path through the woods, and they look a bit…well…a bit like stars have decided to come down to earth and visit for a while. They're very pretty."

Ginko-san nodded, as if this description was something he remembered from a time past. "Those lights in the forest are a kind of mushi. I've come across them before in my travels—the effects they have on humans are very similar to the symptoms you've described. These mushi affect the part of the brain responsible for making decisions, so that's why people have been acting strangely."

"What can you do to fix it?" asked Shizuka's mother, ever-practical.

"I can mix up a medicine to help those already affected, but getting the mushi themselves to go elsewhere will be a bit harder," said Ginko-san. "Possible, yes, but it will take time."

"You'll help us?" asked Shizuka's mother. "Thank you, Ginko-san!"

Ginko-san smiled awkwardly. "It's only my job as a mushi master. And it's no trouble, I assure you."

Some time later, Shizuka watched, barely breathing, as Ginko-san dripped the medicine he'd mixed up onto Tobi's forehead. Tobi scowled in discomfort at the cold liquid, then abruptly went limp, his eyes fluttering shut. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, Shizuka would have thought he was dead. The medicine began to steam, then evaporated entirely. Ginko-san smiled.

"That means it's working." he explained, sitting back on his heels. "He should wake up back to normal in a few hours. Could you show me the others who have been affected?"

Shizuka's mother nodded. "Yes, Ginko-san—come with me."

That evening, Shizuka went out walking in the forest again, her bare feet quiet on the fallen leaves and needles. Her hands brushed the trees she passed, the bark rough against her fingertips.

When she came to the clearing where she usually saw the little white lights—the mushi—her eyes widened.

Ginko-san was crouching in the middle of the clearing, his hands held out, the tiny white mushi covering him from head to foot. He seemed to be speaking quietly to them, murmuring comfortingly, soothingly. From so far away, Shizuka couldn't make out his words, but his expression was relaxed, and the light of the mushi covering him was slowly pulsing. Eventually, the lights went out one by one, until they were all gone. Ginko-san let out a breath, then sat down, closing his eyes.

"You can come out now," he said, faint amusement audible in his tone.

Shizuka jumped, making the leaves beneath her feet rustle. "I'm sorry, Ginko-san," she said, coming out into the clearing and approaching him cautiously.

"What for?" Ginko-san asked, opening his eyes and beckoning her over. "You usually go walking around this time of night—you said so yourself. If you were curious, that's nothing to be ashamed of."

"You looked so peaceful, with all those mushi around you," said Shizuka, sitting down beside him. "I didn't want to interrupt you."

Ginko-san smiled at her, his bright blue-green eyes almost glowing in the darkness. "It's no trouble at all. Interruptions can be distracting, yes, and can stop or reverse a deal with the mushi, which is why I didn't speak to you until the mushi had gone, but I don't mind company now."

"Is it lonely?" Shizuka asked hesitantly. "Being a mushi master, I mean. You must be always moving around, never staying in one place for long."

"It can get lonely, sometimes," Ginko-san admitted. "But I have friends that I visit, and it's never boring."

Shizuka giggled. "I suppose it wouldn't be, dealing with mushi all the time. They're so pretty—are they all like that?"

"A lot of them are very pretty, yes," said Ginko-san. "Will you miss them, now that they're gone?"

"A little," said Shizuka. "But Tobi nearly drowned because of these mushi, and I'd miss him more than I miss some pretty white lights."

Ginko-san nodded. "Practical."

"Does it ever become…less wonderful? The mushi, I mean. Are they ever less amazing?" asked Shizuka.

"No," said Ginko-san. "Never." He sighed quietly and got to his feet, holding out a hand for her. "Come on," he said. "Let's get you home to your mother. She'll be worrying that the mushi have stolen you away."

Shizuka laughed and took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. They walked back to the silent Tsurime village together hand in hand, the stars shining down from their proper place in the night sky.


End file.
